A Story With Wisconsin

Featuring Erinn Springer Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Erinn Springer is a photographer based in Wisconsin, the US. Erinn’s work emphasizes themes of love and death, which are developed through the story of her nuclear and extended family. We witness the complex relationship between people and their environment and the influence of a place on its inhabitants. Erinn's approach to create a narrative displays the significance of the photographer's interpretation of these connections.

Erinn speaks about the vision that allows her to create a meaningful story and the effect the macro and micro perspective on her family has on her work “In documenting my family, I feel that I am sharing my story but not necessarily theirs. The subjects convey and carry the emotions and themes explored in my work, but it’s definitely a subjective portrayal narrated by me.”

We speak with Erinn about finding her interest in photography through working with other mediums, such as graphic design. Erinn explains her fascination with the Midwest, which has recently re-emerged as the main focus of her work following nearly a decade of living in New York and the recent loss of a family member. We discuss her two series, Dormant Seasons and Home Is Where The Garden Grows, both shot in black and white, and the connection between the photographer and her subjects and the story that is built.

‘I was recently digging through a closet in my mom’s house and found my high school day planners. I had taped my early point-and-shoot photographs on the front (which I totally forgot about!), and it’s really cool to look back on those photos.’

My Story

Hi Erinn, so great to have this possibility to speak with you about your work! How was this summer for you? 

Thank you so much! It’s a pleasure. I took a little bit of a break this summer to recalibrate after being completely zoned into my work last fall and winter. It’s been nice, but I’m ready to get back into it... 

Let’s start from your path towards choosing photography, from working as an image editor and video editor to freelancing as a photographer; when did you discover your passion for photography, and why did you decide to focus on documentary photography?

I was recently digging through a closet in my mom’s house and found my high school day planners. I had taped my early point-and-shoot photographs on the front (which I totally forgot about!), and it’s really cool to look back on those photos and remember how excited I was about images and photography, even before I knew I could do it professionally… I went on to study graphic design in college, which introduced me to various forms of communication through imagery but as my interest in other 2D mediums dissipated or transformed, my camera was waiting for me as the obvious companion. 

‘The more I think about this question, the more I realize that losing my brother-in-law really initiated a desire to make pictures with my family. That event changed my perspective on a lot of things.’

Wisconsin

The Midwest, Wisconsin, its landscapes and people, and more so the family history you have in the region had an undeniable impact on your work. Spending several years in New York and coming back to Menomonie most probably returned you to the experience of what it is to be home, close to the people you love. What has changed for you in the way you perceive the Midwest and its people or in how you choose to tell their story through your work?  

The more I think about this question, the more I realize that losing my brother-in-law really initiated a desire to make pictures with my family. That event changed my perspective on a lot of things relative to how I was spending my time and who I wanted to be spending it with. And I didn't really have a change in perspective about the Midwest, but rather, a change in appreciation. Emmet Gowin said, "If you circumnavigated the world and came right back to where you started—where you started was already exotic, and would have been more exotic to someone who was a stranger to that place." This idea perfectly explains my story with Wisconsin. 

‘When I started shooting film, I started by only shooting black & white. The first images in Dormant Seasons came as a result of these initial film experiments, so I kept going with monochrome.’

Dormant Season

Your two personal projects we're about to discuss are shot in monochrome compared to your other work and commissioned projects, which are mostly done in color. Why was the shift to black and white important for the narrative? What does it help to emphasize?

My personal work came before the commissions. When I started shooting film, I started by only shooting black & white. The first images in Dormant Seasons came as a result of these initial film experiments, so I kept going with monochrome. But seeing the world in black and white for so long makes me want to do something entirely different, so I started pitching stories in color. Even if it hadn’t been for this order of events, I would have chosen to shoot Dormant Seasons and Home Is Where The Garden Grows in black and white. These series are not as focused on detail as they are on overarching emotions and I like the tonal world that black & white creates.

‘Dormant Seasons is the scene setter for my childhood and imagination, while Home Is Where The Garden Grows is a work reacting to a specific event in my family’s history.’

Home Is Where The Garden Grows

Home Is Where The Garden Grows mostly focuses on people rather than landscapes when compared to Dormant Season. While nature is very prominent in both of the series, in Home Is Where The Garden Grows the focus is mainly on family life, what's passed from generation to generation, love and grief, and life and death. In which direction do you think those two projects might develop, and what is their connecting point? 

The themes of family, life, and death are core premises to both series and will probably be central to my work forever. The difference that I see between the two is that Dormant Seasons is a broader look at my world, while Home Is Where The Garden Grows is a close-up view of my immediate family. Macro vs. micro. Dormant Seasons is the scene setter for my childhood and imagination, while Home Is Where The Garden Grows is a work reacting to a specific event in my family’s history. Friends and family are present in both but function quite differently.

Documentary

You’re photographing your family members, nieces, nephews, and cousins and telling their stories. What is your approach to making sure the moment is preserved even when you approach with the camera waiting for the right frame? 

In documenting my family, I feel that I am sharing my story but not necessarily theirs. The subjects convey and carry the emotions and themes explored in my work, but it’s definitely a subjective portrayal narrated by me. There's a level of spontaneity in both series, but Dormant Seasons is more a directed series of my imagination, while Home is Where the Garden Grows is more reactive to my subject’s actions. Photographing children is a very unique task that requires a unique approach, and I’m sure it will change over time as I continue the work. 

A Sneak Peek

Could you provide us a sneak peek into the project you’re currently working on or some of the themes in development? 

I’m still figuring it out… So, not for now! But thanks for asking!